1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a towing hitch for attachment to a towing vehicle. More particularly, the present invention relates to a towing hitch having a hitch member which is selectively shiftable throughout an area of movement.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Some prior art towing hitches such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,447,071, which is hereby incorporated by reference, provide an elongated latch or hitch member which can be axially extended and retracted. This provides greater convenience in coupling the trailer to the vehicle because the trailer coupling element need only be placed in line with the hitch member and within the range of its extension. This avoids some repositioning of the towing vehicle in order to align the trailer hitch element with the hitch member.
Even with this provision in the prior art, however, a trailer coupling element must be axially aligned with the hitch member. This is true even with a swingable trailer coupling tongue because the arc through which the tongue passes must intersect the extendable axis of the hitch member. If such an alignment is not achieved, the operator must either reposition a towing vehicle or manhandle the trailer in order to reposition it, leading to further inconvenience and potential back injury.